How often have you gone to a bus stop to look at the schedule, only to find it graffitied or faded, or worse, inaccurate? We suppose it can’t be helped as most schedules listed are printed on paper, meaning that it cannot take into account changes in timing due to an accident, traffic jam, and so on.
Over in London, the good news for commuters is that bus stops will start to use e-paper schedules. These schedules will feature e-paper displays and because they are digital, it also means that they can be updated on the fly so that if there are any delays or changes to the schedule, commuters will be informed as opposed to having to sit around wondering why the bus hasn’t shown up yet.
The e-paper displays will also be powered by solar panels meaning that they will be relatively environmentally friendly as well. Unfortunately in terms of availability, they will only be available in one bus stop at the Waterloo Bridge. However there will be three more introduced to Parliament Square, Piccadilly Circus, and Sloane Square next month.
They will be put on trial until the autumn, after which Transport for London will determine if such a system is worth it and whether or not they want to spend the money to roll it out on a larger scale.